Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, hope you enjoy! =)
Kaiden glided over the trees, admiring the view below him as he flew smoothly in the air. "This is so brilliant!" He called to his parents, his mother was slightly in front while his dad was a little behind him.
"I forgot how good being in the air is," Bella called over her shoulder. "You doing okay there Severus?" She asked in a teasing voice.
"Yes, thank you very much," Severus responded. He actually was having more fun flying than he had thought he would. He pulled up a bit so that he was side by side with Kaiden. He gave his son a wink before leaning forward and shooting past Bella.
"Hey!" Bella said in surprise.
"All right there, love?" Severus asked over his shoulder, a mischievous grin on his face.
Kaiden laughed as his mother began doing flips around his dad, who complained that she was making him dizzy. Unable to resist, he flew fast around both of his parents, doing loops and flips around them before settling back into an even flying pace, an innocent expression on his face.
"Show off," Severus rolled his eyes. "He gets that from you." He told Bella.
Bella grinned.
"I believe I said no dangerous stunts?" Severus raised an eyebrow at Kaiden as he flew next to him.
"But you started it!" Kaiden protested.
Bella burst into laughter as she pulled ahead of them. "He has you there," She agreed, scanning down below. "We're here. Follow me down."
The three of them swooped down, zigzagging through the trees until they touched down onto the green grass, not far from a sparkling blue stream. Bella pulled a tiny basket out of her pocket and restored it to its original size. She took out a green and black checkered blanket and shook it out, spreading it smoothly under a large tree. She began pulling out containers of food and a large pitcher, arranging it on the blanket.
Severus shrunk their brooms and then cast a spell around their blanket to keep insects away. He looked up to see Kaiden standing close to the stream. "Be careful Kaiden," He called out. Without taking his eyes off his son he asked Bella, "Do you know if he can swim?"
Bella paused from laying out paper plates. "I don't know." She looked thoughtful. "I don't imagine those worthless Dursley's would have given him lessons." Her eyes darkened.
At that moment Kaiden trotted over to them and plopped himself down on the blanket. "Mmm, I'm starving!" He uncovered a plate that held fried chicken. "Can we eat now?" He pleaded.
"Dig in," Bella answered and the three of them filled their plates with chicken, egg sandwiches and a green garden salad. "So Kaiden, do you know how to swim?"
Kaiden swallowed his mouthful of chicken before answering. "No, I never leaned," He said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.
Severus was watching him and saw the despondent look in those charcoal eyes. "Did you ever want to?" He asked casually.
Kaiden nodded. "Yeah, when Dudley went to his lessons I wanted to learn too but I wasn't allowed." He poured himself a cup of iced tea. "Vernon would say…" He stopped and looked at his parents uncertainly.
"What would he say, snakeling?" Bella asked gently.
"That if I fell in the water, it would be better for me to drown so I didn't need lessons." Kaiden looked around in alarm as everything on their blanket began shaking.
Severus took a deep breath and held out a hand to rest on Bella's, calming both of their magic and anger. "It's okay," He assured Kaiden.
Kaiden looked a little uncertain but continued talking. "One time, I went with Petunia to pick Dudley up and got to watch him and the other kids swim. It looked like fun."
"We can teach you," Bella said once she had calmed herself down. If she ever saw those muggles again…
"In the stream?" Kaiden asked hopefully.
Severus shook his head and chuckled. "No, you can take a paddle in the stream after lunch but it is not right for swimming in."
"The Great Lake would be better," Bella said.
"What about the giant squid?"
"Oh, he is harmless. He protects the lake," Severus told him.
"I'd love to learn," Kaiden said happily.
"We'll do that the next holiday then," Bella said warmly. "Once you learn we'll take you to the sea."
Kaiden's eyes widened. He'd always wanted to see the ocean. "Really?" He asked excitedly.
"Of course," Bella responded, sharing a bittersweet look with Severus. Seeing him so excited made them happy but knowing what he had suffered, all the moments they had lost, grieved them both more than words could say.
"Think I will be swimming by my birthday?" Kaiden asked.
"Like a fish," Severus answered as he put more salad onto his plate.
Kaiden grinned in satisfaction, wondering if he could have a birthday party at the beach. It was months away but that didn't stop him from thinking about it. After he was done eating, he went to paddle in the stream while his parents watched him closely.
"Oh, it's cold," Kaiden laughed as he stood ankle deep in the glistening water.
"Don't walk in too far," Severus called to him.
"Have you heard anything from Lucius?" Bella asked as she took out her wand to clear the empty plates and containers.
"No, the last I heard from him, his elf hadn't heard anything new," Severus said. He gave his wife a sneaky grin. "And I believe Thistle is keeping tabs on him as well."
"True," Bella chuckled. "I wish we knew what danger the elves were talking about." She said after a moment. "Although, maybe we do know."
"Albus assured us the castle has been searched thoroughly over the years," Severus reminded her. "I would think if there was some sort of monster that resided in the castle, someone would have found it by now."
"True," Bella said and leaned back so that she was lying on the blanket with her head in Severus's lap. She gave a contented sigh as he ran his long fingers through her hair. "Mm, this is nice. The whole day has been wonderful."
"Yes, it has," Severus said as he lovingly stroked her beautiful hair, while still keeping an eye on Kaiden to make sure he didn't wade in too deep. "We needed it after this past week."
Bella murmured an agreement and looked up into Severus's dark eyes. "The years we were separated, this is what of I would dream of. Spending time with our son, just enjoying being a family. And then I would wake up and realize…"
Severus leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "You won't wake up. This is real. We won't be separated from each other again."
"Hey, aren't you guys going to join me?" Kaiden called from the stream.
Bella sat up and smiled playfully. "What do you say Severus? Want to go for a paddle?"
"I suppose," Severus groaned as he helped her stand up. "If we must."
Bella grinned slowly, she wasn't fooled. The sparkle in her husband's eyes told her he didn't mind paddling in the stream with their son one bit.
HP
"That was fun!" Kaiden exclaimed as he put his socks and shoes back on. He heard a noise and looked to see a deer grazing. "Oh, look," He whispered.
"She's a pretty doe," Bella said as she walked a little closer.
"It would be so brilliant to be an animal," Kaiden said wistfully. "Like what Professor McGonagall can do."
Bella shared a grin with Severus and when Kaiden turned back to look at them, they suddenly blurred and shrunk and Kaiden was left staring at two black foxes, one a little larger than the other. The smaller one had a white tip on its long bushy tail while the other had silver sprinkled throughout its fur. They were staring back at him with their triangular ears upright and their snouts were pointed and slightly upturned, Kaiden was almost positive that they were smiling mischievously at him. "You're an Animagus!" He grinned widely and dropped down to gently pet the top of their heads, like he did to Snidget. He first looked at the one with the white tail. "Mum?" He guessed.
The fox jumped up and licked his face.
Kaiden laughed and then looked at the other one. "Dad." The other fox bumped his head against Kaiden's knee. "This is so brilliant!" Kaiden watched in amusement as his mum began to chase his dad, both of them making yipping sounds as they ran around him. He lazily reached into the picnic basket and took one of the remaining biscuits out as he watched them. He was about to take a bite when his dad leaped at him and snagged the biscuit, running off with it. "Hey, no fair!" The yips his parents gave in response sounded very much like laughter and he shook his head with a grin.
The yips turned into growls as they playfully began fighting over the biscuit. Kaiden stood up and biting back his laughter, walked over to them and put his hands on his hips. "Mum! Dad! Stop fighting and share or else you're both grounded!" He broke into laughter at the guilty look on the foxes faces.
The two foxes transformed back into his parents. Severus raised an eyebrow. "Grounded eh?"
Kaiden nodded. "Yeah, no chocolate for Mum and no assigning detentions for you," He teased.
"Now that's just cruel," Bella huffed.
"He is our son," Severus shrugged, his eyes flashing with amusement.
"So when can I learn to be an Animagus? Do you think I will be a fox too?" Kaiden asked excitedly.
"Whoa, calm down Kaiden." Severus held up a hand. "You're a little young yet; you're only in your first year of learning magic. Becoming an Animagus takes time, skill, practice and patience. It can go horribly wrong if you try to rush the process and are not fully committed to the task. Furthermore-"
"Uh oh, he is talking in his professor voice," Bella smirked as she waved her wand to fold the blanket and put it into the basket.
"It's a serious commitment," Severus admonished her.
"I know that Severus, but the tone you were using made it sound like you were about to assign Kaiden an essay on it," Bella shrunk the basket and put it in her pocket.
Severus looked thoughtful and Kaiden's eyes widened. "No essay assigning needed. I wouldn't mind reading about it though," He said quickly.
"I'll get you a book on the subject," Severus said. "But I want you to promise me you will not attempt to become an Animagus without our permission." He said with a twinge of sternness in his voice.
"I promise," Kaiden said solemnly.
"Good boy," Severus said proudly, ruffling Kaiden's hair.
"Are we ready to fly back?" Bella asked. She handed Kaiden his broom. "Did you have fun today?"
"Today was the best," Kaiden said honestly. "Can we do this again sometime?"
"Of course," Bella said as she gave Kaiden a warm hug.
"Nothing wrong with taking some time for ourselves," Severus said. He sighed. "However, it is time to get back to reality."
HP
Two days later after their classes, Kaiden, Draco, Pansy and Blaise came upon Hermione and Ron arguing in front of the entrance hall.
"She's mental," Ron was saying to Hermione. "Too bad they can't get rid of her."
"Ron, that's a horrible thing to say!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Who are you talking about?" Kaiden asked curiously.
"Moaning Myrtle," Hermione answered.
Kaiden exchanged a confused look with Draco. "I've never heard of her."
"Who in their right mind would name their kid Moaning Myrtle?" Draco asked incredulously.
Kaiden began to snicker. "I don't think that's her actual name, prat."
"Well, how should I know? You do hear some weird names," Draco said, gesturing to Hermione.
Hermione glared at him. "Gee, you think so… Draco?"
"I'll have you know," Draco began hotly.
"So who is this Moaning Myrtle?" Kaiden asked loudly.
"She's a ghost who haunts the girls' toilet on the first floor," Ron explained. "She's insane."
"She's not insane, she's sad," Hermione said.
"She floods the place!" Ron said.
"Maybe she's bored," Blaise said with amusement.
"She sounds…interesting," Draco rolled his eyes.
"There's nothing else to do, let's go see her," Blaise suggested.
"We could work on our homework," Hermione pointed out.
"Yeah, let's go see her," Draco said quickly.
"You just don't want to work on the potions essay," Pansy snickered.
"The research on Flobberworm Mucus is kind of gross," Draco explained as they made their way to the girls' lavatory on the first floor.
"Hermione, where's Neville?" Kaiden asked as they walked.
"I don't know. Earlier he said he was tired and I haven't seen him since," Hermione said with a small frown. "He's been quieter than usual; I hope he isn't having a relapse or something from being bitten by Norbert."
"He shouldn't be, after Madam Pomfrey gave him potions to heal him," Kaiden said, remembering his reading from his dragon essay. The only way Neville would have a relapse was if he hadn't been treated properly, which of course he had been.
Once they entered the bathroom, ignoring the Out of Order sign that hung on the door, Kaiden looked around with wide eyes. "Merlin, this is…rather depressing," He commented. The mirrors were cracked and spotted, the floor was damp, the wooden doors to the stalls were scratched and flaking and the candles gave off a dull light.
"Ugh, they should remodel," Draco said in a disgusted tone.
Hermione sighed. "It wouldn't really matter because no one would use it regardless of how it looked in here. None of the girls want to use this bathroom when there is a ghost haunting it."
"They should just tell her to go away," Draco remarked.
Suddenly there was a loud wailing noise and Moaning Myrtle, a gloomy looking girl with thick glasses and lank hair, flew out from one of the stalls. "Go away you horrible boy!" She gasped as she saw them all standing in the middle of the room. "Why are you all in here? Go away!"
"We uh, just wanted to visit you Myrtle," Hermione said in a bright voice.
"You already did earlier," Myrtle said with a glare towards Ron. "Why did you bring them?"
"They wanted to meet you," Hermione said.
Myrtle's lower lip quivered. "You're here to make fun of me! Just like when I was alive!"
Kaiden couldn't help but feel some pity for her. "No Myrtle, that's not why we're here," He assured her.
"It's not?" Ron asked.
Myrtle burst into loud noisy tears.
"Ron!" Kaiden snapped.
Ron shrugged, a sheepish look on his freckled face.
"At least you're a nice boy," Myrtle said to Kaiden, still sobbing. She rose in the air, turned over and dived headfirst into the toilet. Water splashed and they all stepped back to avoid getting drenched.
"Er, sorry," Ron said.
"No wonder there is water everywhere," Blaise commented.
Hermione sighed. "Actually, that was quite cheery for her. Let's go."
Remembering his own essay he needed to start, Kaiden spoke up. "We should all study together."
"Excellent idea," Hermione said approvingly. "Let's get our books and go to the library. We still have some time before dinner."
Draco sighed. "I guess I can't put off that essay forever."
"Nope, you can't!" Kaiden said cheerfully, chuckling when Draco glared at him. The last thing he wanted was to fall behind in any of his studies again and studying with friends was better than working alone so he was happy to jump on the opportunity.
HP
After spending a good amount of time working on their essays, Kaiden and his friends were walking down to go to dinner when he heard it.
"Rip…tear…kill…"
Kaiden froze. He vaguely remembered that he had thought he'd heard a voice a few days ago but this time it was clearer.
"Kaiden?" Draco questioned when he noticed his cousin had stopped walking. "Come on, we're going to be late to dinner."
"Didn't you hear that?" Kaiden demanded.
"Hear what?"
"Listen," Kaiden whispered.
"…tear…blood…"
"I don't hear anything," Pansy said after a moment.
"Me either," Ron said with a frown.
"You –you don't?" Kaiden was beginning to feel very anxious. Was he just imagining it?
"Kaiden, are you all right?" Hermione asked in concern.
"I'm hearing something," Kaiden insisted. "A voice…" He frowned when he saw the looks his friends faces. "I really am hearing a voice or something," He insisted.
"Okay, what is it saying?" Draco asked.
"Bad things," Kaiden breathed, looking wildly around.
"Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said. "Hearing voices isn't…well, even in the wizarding world it's considered a bit odd isn't it?" She asked tentatively.
"Definitely," Blaise nodded.
"A voice only you can hear," Draco said thoughtfully and then his pale eyes widened.
Ron appeared to catch on and a relieved expression flitted across his face. He and Draco stepped closer to Kaiden so that the others wouldn't overhear them.
"It's probably a snake," Draco whispered.
"But it is saying really horrible things," Kaiden said with a frown.
"So it's a deranged snake," Ron shrugged. "Probably it slithered in here from the Forbidden Forest."
"Yeah, no big deal cuz," Draco said reassuringly to Kaiden. "We'll just tell one of the adults so that they can find it and put it back outside."
"…Blood…I smell blood!"
Without thinking about it, Kaiden took off running towards the strange voice was coming from.
"Kaiden!"
Kaiden heard his friends running after him but he didn't stop. Following where he had heard the voice, he raced up the stairs to the second floor and turned a corner. He finally stopped, his eyes darting around.
"Honestly Kaiden, what was that?" Ron complained, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"Ugh, my side is killing me," Draco groaned as he tried to catch his breath.
"Wow, we're all horribly out of shape," Pansy said. "I still didn't hear anything."
"Kaiden," Draco said in an exasperated voice.
Kaiden stood frozen, his eyes staring past them in horror. When they turned around, both Hermione and Pansy gasped. On the wall large words were smeared in dark red, shining from the light of the torches.
The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies Of The Heir, Beware
Worse than the eerie message was what lay on the floor underneath it, in a large puddle of water. It was Mr. Filch, stiff as a board with his eyes wide and staring.
TBC:
